Werner Herzog

[mixed]

Crazy genius! All his films which I've seen so far has been excellent. The Kinski collaboration was a brilliant thing. I'm now getting round to seeing the films he made with Bruno in them. Stroszek for example, wonderul film.

[criterionmaster]

I have only seen Grizzly Man and that was great. I really need to see more of his films!

[kiddo]

I think Aguirre, Der Zorn Gottes is his definitive masterpiece. I`m also a fan of Fitscarraldo, but for me, Aguirre is far better. I was a bit dissapointed when I saw Woyzeck and Cobra Verde. Both are great technically, but neither of them really gave me anything special. I have yet to see Nosferatu and My best friend, when it comes to his collaboration with Kinski. No doubt this is a talented, and sometimes genious director.

[mixed]

The documentary is actually called My Best Fiend

Easy mistake to make!

Woyzeck is quite good, Kinskis performance is very powerful in that, I'll see cobra verde soon, heard its weak...

[criterionmaster]

Do either of you two know if the Anchor Bay Herzog DVD sets are any good?

[kiddo]

Yeah, I have it myself, and it`s very nice. You wouldn`t regret.

[criterionmaster]

Ok thanks. I may just have to snag it then.

[mixed]

Yes definitely get them!

[satantangofan]

Aguirre, Stroszek, Nosferatu & Fitzcarraldo are all excellent, but people rarely mention Heart of Glass or Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser, which I feel are as good. Has anyone else actually seen Heart of Glass? It really is a beautiful movie.

[mixed]

I haven't seen that yet though I've heard people cite it as Herzogs worst film.

[satantangofan]

Well it's only my opinion but I love it. Stunning cinematography & totally dreamlike. OK there's no Kinski but Herzog did hypnotise the cast to achieve that "otherly" quality. The film verges on the brink of hysteria for an hour and a half and is completely unique. You can love it or hate it but you'll see nothing else like it. If you like Aguirre & Kaspar Hauser I strongly recommend. (talking about Herz aus Glas - Heart of Glass - BTW).

[atomicsparrow]

Stroszek was great.

[mixed]

I'll see heart of glass soon. For me so far, his weakest film is nosferatu, BORING!

[satantangofan]

From an interview with Kinski during the filming of Fitzcarraldo

www.hatii.arts.gla.ac.uk/.../00-01/0009135b/ fruits/html/cobra%20verde/cobra_verde-


"Months ago I told that he could go fuck himself, and I hung up on him. So he began Fitzcarraldo without me, using someone from New York, plus Mick Jagger as Fitzcarraldo's best friend. Now Herzog fucking shows up in L.A. and begs me to star in the movie.
After some four weeks of shooting with the guy from New York, Herzog, even with his moronic brain, must have realized that the result was all garbage and that he had to start all over again from scratch. For the fourth time this blowhard has proved that without me he´s a nonentity. Nevertheless he tries to rip me off in L.A.
Every single word in the contract has to be retyped - until Herzog finally throws the towel: At midnight he runs out of the office of the Beverly Hills lawyer and lets me write anything I like."

"The five months in the Peruvian jungle are just like the months we spent filming Aguirre ten years ago. Once again our lives are constantly put at risk because of Herzog's total ignorance, narrowmindedness, arrogance, and inconsideration, which threaten to bring about the collapse of the shooting and the financing. Once again the crew feeds on inedible chow cooked in lard. Once again we lack the barest necessities to keep up our strength and ward off dangerous diseases. Onee again we lack fruit, vegetables, and especially drinking water. Mine is the only contract to stipulate a daily ration of lemons, papayas, and mineral water.
And I'm the only one to avoid eating that swig Herzog supplies. Whenever possible, I catch fish in the river or shoot wildfowl and roast them on a wood fire.
The instant Herzog smells the roast, he sticks to me like a fly to dung and tries to eat up my food. No matter how much I curse, insult, and even threaten him, the moment he wants something from me, he's here, like malaria, like the stench billowing out from a pile of shit.
He's the same decaying garbage heap that he was ten years ago - only more moronic, more mindless, more murderous.
Day and night he keeps a notebook in the leather kit on his belt and he jots down his distortions about the shooting. He's also hired Les Blank, a so-called documentary filmmaker, who thinks of nothing but food. He's supposed to shoot a flick about Herzog, but this chow hound is so lazy that he sleeps through everything. If ever, by some chance, he happens to be in the right place at the right time, he dawdles and dawdles until his camera is finally attached to its tripod-and by then it's too late. He never uses a hand-held camera. He's probahly too shaky, but the main reason is no doubt the eamera itself: It's too heavy and uncomfortable."

"Over and over again I refuse to stick to Herzog's hair-raisingly crappy script or take his amateurish "direction." I have to force him accept every camera angle I want. I have to show that dimwit cameraman where the camera belongs, and I have to get the lens and the distance. I never "rehearse" a single scene. I say, ´Roll 'em´ and I shoot only once."

Absolutely priceless!!!

[criterionmaster]

"Actually, for some time now I have given some thought to opening a film school. But if I did start one up you would only be allowed to fill out an application form after you have walked alone on foot, let's say from Madrid to Kiev, a distance of about five thousand kilometres. While walking, write. Write about your experiences and give me your notebooks. I would be able to tell who had really walked the distance and who had not. While you are walking you would learn much more about filmmaking and what it truly involves than you ever would sitting in a classroom. During your voyage you will learn more about what your future holds than in five years at film school. Your experiences would be the very opposite of academic knowledge, for academia is the death of cinema. It is the very opposite of passion."

--Werner Herzog - Director

[Nomansvally]

Everyone who likes the films of Werner Herzog must read his biography "Herzog on Herzog!" by Faber and Faber publishing.

It's funny, it's frightened, it's hilarious, it's cool and inspiring!

Product Details:

Paperback 354 pages (November 4, 2002)
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Language: English
ISBN: 0571207081

I urge you to buy it straight away, don't hesitate and I can guarantee that you won't be dissapointed!

www.amazon.co.uk
www.amazon.com
www.amazon.fr
www.amazon.de
www.amazon.jp

[mixed]

I think Herzog has become one fo my favourite directors. A long with Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Todd Solondz and Takeshi Kitano.

[meshuggeth]

I saw Aguirre a few days ago and it was great! I look forward to seeing more films by Herzog.

[satantangofan]

Yep, Aguirre is in my top 5.

[meshuggeth]

Haha cool I posted on your ymdb page a while back.

[satantangofan]

meshuggeth said:

Haha cool I posted on your ymdb page a while back.

Hey that is cool. What's your YMDB user name so I can check your list out?

[meshuggeth]

www.ymdb.com/mehsuggeth/l35858_ukuk.html

[satantangofan]

Cheers my man. I checked out your list. Tres cool.

[kiddo]

www.wernerherzog.com/main/index_html.htm

Go to Henry Rollings Interview under "News".

I love this guy!

[criterionmaster]

I sadly still have only seen one Herzog film, Grizzly Man.

[captainofbeef]

You got a region free DVD player, why not buy some Aguirre or Fitzcarraldo and then invite me over so I can watch it with you.

[captainofbeef]

To tell you the truth, I have no idea.

[criterionmaster]

Like I said, I have only seen one of this man's films. Which should I start with? (And to beed, I have a region free player now, not that I need one in this case.)

[kiddo]

Oh man, I am looking forward to hear what you think about Herzog after watching some more of his films. I don`t really know which of them you should start with, but I guess Aguirre, Der Zorn Gottes is a great place to start. And of course I recommend you highly to check out The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser and Stroszek as fast as you can. They may just be a great place to start, they too. But it`s difficult to explain. They are all so different, but at the same time they all share this peculiar aspect that I believe only Herzog can create.

Sorry if I brag too much about these films, but they just mean so much to me.

[criterionmaster]

Thanks. I will check out Aguirre first, that was what I was thinking. Then we will see my thoughts on that, hopefully I will love it. I'll try and get it sometime within the month.

I don't think you brag any more so than any of us do about films/directors we love or have seen a lot of films from. It is natural. Which films of his are documentaries? I am guessing Aguirre... isn't?